IMHO... I'm OK with the winner, but it was bad edit for Final Leg. When Bates & Anthony finished the last task, i knew they would win. Last season final task definitely harder & challenging than this. Last season we saw Beekman boys & the Chippendales racing to the finish line, but this time the Hockey boys racing alone. "Unpredictable finish" ?? I still don't get it

Exactly, which is why last season was one of the best. When Bates/Anthony completed the switchback first, it really was over.

IMHO... I'm OK with the winner, but it was bad edit for Final Leg. When Bates & Anthony finished the last task, i knew they would win. Last season final task definitely harder & challenging than this. Last season we saw Beekman boys & the Chippendales racing to the finish line, but this time the Hockey boys racing alone. "Unpredictable finish" ?? I still don't get it

I totally agree with you! It was a clean win.

Well, I was expecting a much hard final leg, but it seems it was pretty easy to do both the challenges. I hoped that. Well, grats on B/A, having all the strong teams supporting them, the result is pretty obvious. Next time, listen to the young guys and try to kick them out of the race. But, well-deserved race! Still wanted a better final leg though

I am sorry to tell you that this task did in fact determine the winner of AR22. Max was unable to complete this task quickly enough, which caused a time deficit to Bate/Anthony which ultimately determined the race finish order.

I am sorry to tell you that this task did in fact determine the winner of AR22. Max was unable to complete this task quickly enough, which caused a time deficit to Bate/Anthony which ultimately determined the race finish order.

Yeah, the winner was determined by two random tasks. I've been to DC and there's a lot more mental tasks they could have done there.

All I have to say about the episode is that luck tasks have no place in finales imo.

On the bright side, Belfast was amazing. <3

Logged

1. Don't pick up the phone - You know he's only calling 'cause he's drunk and alone.2. Don't let him in - You have to kick him out again.3. Don't be his friend - You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning.And if you're under him, you ain't gettin' over him. ♥

They got a montage! I actually can't believe they could make it this far! I thought they were over Leg 1

Those two babes have more brains and heart than the 2 roller derby hags. I thought they would win it all. Too bad.

I find your remark totally offensive! Mona and Beth are age 33 and age 36 moms and the country singers are age 29 and 30 singles. I found Caroline and Jennifer not too swift but lucky enough to survive to the penultimate leg. Mona and Beth are not going to compete on looks but they clearly have more brains and much more athletic skill than the country singers. However, neither team is worth a damn on navigation, the most critical Amazing Race skill.

While the spec that the teams had a task in London turned out to be correct, I don't think anyone had the teams taking a ferry to Liverpool and then a taxi to London to get that clue that sent them to D.C.

I'm pretty sure Phil, Bert and Elise weren't taking the ferries to and from Northern Ireland. And that detour task involving the final meal served to first class passengers on the Titanic was difficult, especially if you didn't recognize the dishes being served for a particular course (10 courses in all!!!). That was really a tough task.

There were only 5 courses for the meal served under the tent:1. Oysters for all2. Soup (cream of barley or consomme)3. Roast Squab and watercress with madeira jus4. Asparagus Vinaigrette Salad5. Dessert (peaches with chartreuse jelly or Waldorf pudding)

These are 5 of the courses (1, 2, 7, 8, 10) from the excellent actual list of the Titanic's last meal provided by Dr. Rox.

While the spec that the teams had a task in London turned out to be correct, I don't think anyone had the teams taking a ferry to Liverpool and then a taxi to London to get that clue that sent them to D.C.

I'm pretty sure Phil, Bert and Elise weren't taking the ferries to and from Northern Ireland. And that detour task involving the final meal served to first class passengers on the Titanic was difficult, especially if you didn't recognize the dishes being served for a particular course (10 courses in all!!!). That was really a tough task.

To me it was really good production scheduling. After the pit stop in Belfast, production had about 24 hours to get teams to Heathrow to fly to the US. The last flight on that Thur from Heathrow to Dulles was at 5 pm. So WRP had a chance to most everyone back to DC before teams even arrived at the pub.......well except for the minders. That let them get a good night's sleep in DC before teams arrived. I did notice the ferrys, but I put more stock in the previous TAR 15 conference room at Heathrow, than doing surface transportation to seperate teams from production.

Well, I agree with Joab. In the end, the last leg was essentially a replay of the TAR 10 ending. Only this time it was a much more exciting Final 3 with potential for a great finish, only to see predictability reign supreme once more.

Here's the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for the Finale:

The Good:

The Belfast leg was very well designed, featuring a good balance of smarts, luck, and physical skill that, in the end fulfilled its purpose in eliminating the team that was least qualified for the Final 3. Don't get me wrong here though: Caroline & Jennifer were a very likable team that definitely experienced what they were supposed to experience on the Race (see their elimination interview). But they were the weakest team overall (as I've said in the past, they should have been eliminated a long time ago), and probably the main reason Bates & Anthony didn't get U-turned at some point previously.

Despite the above, I loved seeing Caroline & Jennifer support each other up to the very end, and get eliminated deservingly but very positively as well. These two were a very positive team, and I respect them a lot more now.

I also enjoyed seeing a very real possibility of a comeback from Mona & Beth, which was really making me love the Final Leg. At least until...

The Bad:

Once Bates & Anthony passed Max & Katie, the Race was all over. The teams were absolutely and indefinitely set in their positions, making for a "snoozefest" (as Joab said) for the Final Leg.

The tasks were very poorly designed on Leg 11 (it's not 12 and I don't care what ANYBODY says on that matter). They were "eye candy" tasks that were meant merely to stimulate the average, casual tv viewer, while failing in every way to create excitement or unpredictability for me (a diehard TAR fan), or to separate the good racers from the great.

The Ugly:

Finally (and perhaps this should be a subset of the previous point), the unfulfilled promise to the teams that they would meet the president of the United States. Honestly, I don't know what to say about this. It is very unacceptable, not only to me, but to the teams as well! Turning something that ought to have been a momentous and historic moment into a non-memorable joke is no way to create a truly amazing experience for anyone involved. It also demeans the sacredness of the presidential office (yes, I said it was sacred, even despite the fact I don't respect the man in the office myself. Props to Max for recognizing that.), making it seem as though meeting the President of the United States is merely a cheap, gift-shop-type, tourist event. Conclusion: If you can't get the president to meet with the teams in person then scrap the task entirely, and get a much better one. This lameness could very easily have been avoided.

Okay, I'm done now. On to another great season in the Fall!

Disclaimer: I'm sure my post will generate a lot of controversy, as my posts often do. Please remember that these are just my opinions, and there is obviously no real good reason why anyone has to agree with them. I state them without any intention of offending anyone. Remember that being offended is your own personal choice - I can't make you be offended. (Also, on that note, I did indeed choose to be offended about my "The Ugly" bullet-point above.)

While the spec that the teams had a task in London turned out to be correct, I don't think anyone had the teams taking a ferry to Liverpool and then a taxi to London to get that clue that sent them to D.C.

I'm pretty sure Phil, Bert and Elise weren't taking the ferries to and from Northern Ireland. And that detour task involving the final meal served to first class passengers on the Titanic was difficult, especially if you didn't recognize the dishes being served for a particular course (10 courses in all!!!). That was really a tough task.

There were only 5 courses for the meal served under the tent:1. Oysters for all2. Soup (cream of barley or consomme)3. Roast Squab and watercress with madeira jus4. Asparagus Vinaigrette Salad5. Dessert (peaches with chartreuse jelly or Waldorf pudding)

These are 5 of the courses (1, 2, 7, 8, 10) from the excellent actual list of the Titanic's last meal provided by Dr. Rox.

The editors showed the full menu card of all ten courses that was on an easel under the tent. While teams only had to serve 5 of the ten courses, it looked like all ten were set out on the plates by the chefs for teams to work from. I'll be able to double-check once the I-Tunes download is available for these episodes, but I'm pretty certain the full menu with all ten courses was there for the teams to see.

While the spec that the teams had a task in London turned out to be correct, I don't think anyone had the teams taking a ferry to Liverpool and then a taxi to London to get that clue that sent them to D.C.

I'm pretty sure Phil, Bert and Elise weren't taking the ferries to and from Northern Ireland. And that detour task involving the final meal served to first class passengers on the Titanic was difficult, especially if you didn't recognize the dishes being served for a particular course (10 courses in all!!!). That was really a tough task.

To me it was really good production scheduling. After the pit stop in Belfast, production had about 24 hours to get teams to Heathrow to fly to the US. The last flight on that Thur from Heathrow to Dulles was at 5 pm. So WRP had a chance to most everyone back to DC before teams even arrived at the pub.......well except for the minders. That let them get a good night's sleep in DC before teams arrived. I did notice the ferrys, but I put more stock in the previous TAR 15 conference room at Heathrow, than doing surface transportation to seperate teams from production.

The good time planning was the result of using the slower mode of transportation to London for the teams, while production obviously flew out of Belfast to get to D.C. TAR loves using trains and ferries for the teams since that keeps them occu[ied while production flies ahead. Been true since season 1, folks. And in trying to reconstruct or even figure out things in real time, it is a principle that has to be keep in mind. TPTB will always use such transportation options for the teams if need be to get Phil ahead of the teams. The biggest change in the race course since the early seasons (dropping the "standard" 12 hour rest period and its multiples in favor of flex scheduling of rest periods at pit stops) seems to have been due to that particular issue of getting Phil ahead of the teams so he can film his stand ups and be at the pit stop before teams arrive.

I'm pretty sure the show also showed the full menu card with all ten courses listed, as well; as I recall, there were separate courses for beef, lamb, poultry, fisn, etc. on the full card. I wasn't able to record the show on the malfunctioning DVR last night, and I'm relying on the I-Tunes copy of each episode these days for my library of TAR episodes. (Ever since 13, in fact.)

The good time planning was the result of using the slower mode of transportation to London for the teams, while production obviously flew out of Belfast to get to D.C. TAR loves using trains and ferries for the teams since that keeps them occu[ied while production flies ahead. Been true since season 1, folks. And in trying to reconstruct or even figure out things in real time, it is a principle that has to be keep in mind. TPTB will always use such transportation options for the teams if need be to get Phil ahead of the teams. The biggest change in the race course since the early seasons (dropping the "standard" 12 hour rest period and its multiples in favor of flex scheduling of rest periods at pit stops) seems to have been due to that particular issue of getting Phil ahead of the teams so he can film his stand ups and be at the pit stop before teams arrive.

You actually missed my point completely. But teams did get to ride on the Caledonian train..just in the other direction that previously speculated.

I'm pretty sure the show also showed the full menu card with all ten courses listed, as well; as I recall, there were separate courses for beef, lamb, poultry, fisn, etc. on the full card. I wasn't able to record the show on the malfunctioning DVR last night, and I'm relying on the I-Tunes copy of each episode these days for my library of TAR episodes. (Ever since 13, in fact.)

I watched that particulary segment very close and was disappointed that they didn't do the full 10 course meal. Gool luck finding any mention of the real 10 course meal on the program. I agree with Alenavada that TAR only used 5 courses and only showed 5 courses. Tis a pity really, they used mostly single choice courses, except for the soup course.

I'm pretty sure the show also showed the full menu card with all ten courses listed, as well; as I recall, there were separate courses for beef, lamb, poultry, fisn, etc. on the full card. I wasn't able to record the show on the malfunctioning DVR last night, and I'm relying on the I-Tunes copy of each episode these days for my library of TAR episodes. (Ever since 13, in fact.)

theschnauzers,

What you see is what you get! I went over the menu poster quite carefully to see what what on it, which matched exactly with what teams served. I don't know if there were more than 5 courses in the prep area or not, but I doubt that you will be able to tell with iTunes. I suspect that your confusion may be due to remembering Dr. Rox's list of the actual Titanic last meal of 10 courses.

The RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. On the hundred year anniversary, this event was celebrated/memoralized around the world. One of the ways this was done was for restaurants to serve the dinner menu in first class that was served on April 14, 1912. In my city, there had to have been at least 100 restaurants, at a minimum, advertizing that fact. Many of them posted the menu on their ads. When I saw the screen caps of Max and Katie with the trays at the graving dock, that is the first thing that came to my mind. Then seeing the white tents, aboe and below, confirmed it to me. Below is the full menu. The part bolded is the part of that menu that TAR/WRP used in this episode.

The First-Class Menu

As served in the first-class dining saloon of the R.M.S. Titanic on April 14, 1912

We also know they plated some peaches with a red jelly. I really dont know what else they plated in the prep tent. I guess we need a person with some serious culinary training to look at screen caps and see what all was on those tables. Personally, it really doesn't interest me.

In the prep/plating tent, there two seating charts up on the wall. Obviously, the correct pattern for the 2nd and 5th courses, which had dual dishes.

The only thing that I think was really unpredictable about this finale was that Bates & Anthony were so far ahead that production couldn't even edit it to look like it could be close. They were able to edit things to make it look like the other teams had a chance of catching them at the ballpark and at the globes, but once Bates & Anthony left that task it was obvious they would win. The whole "I hope we're going to the right place" comments in the cab was just lame. The only way I could see them going to the wrong place would be if the cab driver didn't know where Mt. Vernon is.

I wonder if production had a sense that all 3 teams wouldn't be at the globe task at the same time. That ball pit looked awfully small for 3 adults to be able to do anything without banging into each other. Although a little elbow throwing might have made it more exciting.

Finally (and perhaps this should be a subset of the previous point), the unfulfilled promise to the teams that they would meet the president of the United States. Honestly, I don't know what to say about this. It is very unacceptable, not only to me, but to the teams as well! Turning something that ought to have been a momentous and historic moment into a non-memorable joke is no way to create a truly amazing experience for anyone involved. It also demeans the sacredness of the presidential office (yes, I said it was sacred, even despite the fact I don't respect the man in the office myself. Props to Max for recognizing that.), making it seem as though meeting the President of the United States is merely a cheap, gift-shop-type, tourist event. Conclusion: If you can't get the president to meet with the teams in person then scrap the task entirely, and get a much better one. This lameness could very easily have been avoided.

Okay, I'm done now. On to another great season in the Fall!

Disclaimer: I'm sure my post will generate a lot of controversy, as my posts often do. Please remember that these are just my opinions, and there is obviously no real good reason why anyone has to agree with them. I state them without any intention of offending anyone. Remember that being offended is your own personal choice - I can't make you be offended. (Also, on that note, I did indeed choose to be offended about my "The Ugly" bullet-point above.)

When we saw the promo for this task my husband and I looked at each other and said "you've got to be kidding me" until we saw the pictures. I suppose that was the only other surprising part of the show given that the Obamas can't seem to pass any opportunity to be on tv and Max finally said something I agree with. Poor Mona and Beth either didn't notice that the clue said "1100 Pennsylvania Ave" or forgot that the white house is at 1600.